


Blue

by tauhou



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Borrowed Shirts, F/F, Jealousy, Lazy Mornings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-03 16:37:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21182591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tauhou/pseuds/tauhou
Summary: She can't think why she's never seen Vanessa in it before.  Would definitely have remembered it if she had.  It's heavy, soft cotton, with a blue and white check that brings out the colour in her eyes.Vanessa digs an old shirt out of the back of her wardrobe.





	1. Charity

**Author's Note:**

> A small idea I'd half-written, turned into a small storylet while I procrastinate furiously on a longer piece.
> 
> Most likely set after Bails, before moving in together, but no fixed time.
> 
> First chapter is Charity's point of view, second chapter is Vanessa's.

She's lying in Vanessa's bed. A rare child-less morning off for the both of them thoroughly taken advantage of. A growling stomach had eventually got Vanessa up and about, offering her a round of toast and some tea if she could wait for ten minutes.

To be fair, is not like she often needs much encouragement to stay in bed, and even less this morning. She got some sleep last night — but not much. A fact which nudges a smirk onto her lips. And quite a wide smirk, at that. She is half-inclined to go downstairs with Vanessa and see if she can't convince her to make better use of the sofa than they did last night. She'd had plans for that sofa on the way over an everything, but she'd had to abandon them when it turned out Vanessa had some very firm opinions about how quickly they should be getting upstairs. Not that she'd been complaining. Vanessa's directness has been a major surprise. It's refreshing. Delightful. Distracting. That sofa, though, has potential that she intends to explore. She stretches out an ache in her shoulder and sighs. Some day.

Even though the house is empty, Vanessa has been taking her time getting herself ready, fossicking around in her wardrobe, fussing with her hair, and adjusting the way the shirt she's finally chosen hangs off her shoulders.

Charity has been quietly enjoying the view, content to linger.

Satisfied with her look in the mirror, Vanessa turns back to Charity. "Fancy marmalade or jam on the toast?"

Honestly, she thinks, she has no idea. And she really doesn't care. Not when Vanessa looks at her like that. An almost sly smile on her face, the late morning light catching her hair tied up high on her head. That old, oversized shirt practically hanging off of her, the deep v at her neck where she's left the top buttons undone. As she follows the edge of the collar with her eye, Charity realises the shirt is only just covering a couple of dark marks she's really not sorry for making the night before.

The shirt's a good look on Vanessa. A _very_ good look. She can't think why she's never seen Vanessa in it before. Would definitely have remembered it if she had. It's heavy, soft cotton, with a blue and white check that brings out the colour in her eyes. It's well out of line with Vanessa's usual smart, fitted shirts. Seems more like a bloke's shirt really. Charity frowns to herself. Where _did_ she get it from?

"And what might you be looking at, then?" Vanessa says lightly, catching her eye.

Charity raises an eyebrow, shifting under the duvet so it falls further down her body. "Something flimmin gorgeous." She grins at Vanessa who grins back. "And this..." she waves her hand at Vanessa "curious ensemble."

Vanessa's face scrunches momentarily in confusion. "Wot, this?" She looks down, surveying herself.

"Yeah," Charity flicks her chin at Vanessa's getup, "the lumberjill outfit. I mean, I'm not saying I don't appreciate it an all, but it's a bit more butch than your usual, innit?"

Vanessa's focus drifts for a second or two as she turns the comment over in her head. Then she rolls her shoulders, serving to open the neck of the shirt wide enough that Charity's body flushes slightly.

"One of Kirin's, I think." Vannessa shrugs. "He left it behind after staying over one night, and I never got round to .. giving it ... back..."

Charity's out of the bed, standing stark naked in front of Vanessa before she finishes the sentence.

"Wot _are_ you doing?" Vanessa says, her eyebrows arching up in confusion.

Charity reaches out slowly and catches the shirt fabric firmly between a finger and thumb.

There's something about Kirin's shirt on Vanessa's body, the length of time it's been lurking in the back of Vanessa's bedroom that she objects to. Viscerally. She knows about Kirin. Vanessa's talked about him. A bit. She remembers seeing them together in the pub even. Of course she does. The gossip had been fast and fierce when their relationship had come to light. She just never really thought about him in this room. With Vanessa. An her wearing his clothes... She grips one half of the shirt front in one hand, and then curls her fingers around the other. She sees a flash of blue as she yanks the two parts apart, buttons pinging off into the distant reaches of the bedroom.

"Hey, I like that shirt." Vanessa objects, pulling back slightly.

"Yeah, well, I like what's underneath it." Charity replies, with more confidence than she feels. She pulls the shirt off Vanessa's shoulders and loops it behind her back to pull her nearer. "So there." She pauses for a split second. She knows that maybe she's done that thing again, where she's acted without thinking and'll be made to regret it.

But that sunshine is still in her face, even though there's still a fire in those eyes. The lightness of the woman at moments like these still kills her. Where she's been expecting to be brushed off and reprimanded, she finds this unexpected beam of pure mischief. It's adorable. And achingly, devastatingly hot. She pulls slowly on the shirt and feels a flood of relief when Vanessa goes with it, her hands lighting on her waist and settling.

Vanessa's lips are soft and warm, and open for her after a moment. She makes sure she takes her time. Fitting her body to Vanessa's, paying attention to the details, guessing where she can push and when she needs to stop. Waiting patiently, knowing that she'll get to explore sometime later, that there are times when Vanessa wants her to nudge those boundaries. She tilts her head and nearly looses it when Vanessa responds, a hmm of pleasure catching in her throat as Charity pushes forward.

She's all too willing when Charity tugs on the shirt to turn her towards the bed, falling backwards and bringing Charity with her. She crawls up Vanessa's body and relaxes as Vanessa's hands find the small of her back.

She nudges the shirt out of the way, intent on making sure Vanessa knows exactly how she feels about her - whether she's wearing this manky old shirt or nothing at all.


	2. Vanessa

The damage to Kirin's shirt isn't too bad, considering how abruptly Charity had pulled it apart. The threads where the buttons had been sewn on are broken and frayed, and the fabric around the threads is a little puckered, but it smooths down easily enough as she runs it between her fingers. She's always loved this fabric. It's just a standard cotton, but heavy and soft and, while she'd shoved it into the back of a drawer and ignored it for a couple of years, the memories it holds now are good ones.

Why she decided to dig it out this morning, she has no idea. She can't even say why she'd kept it. She'd been so sure she'd never forgive him, was furious at him for letting Johnny down. But when she tries to recall the sour rage she'd felt then, it's faded. She can still feel the edges of it where they were before, but they're no longer jagged and sharp.

She shakes the shirt out, holding it up to the light. It's fixable. A few stitches. Mischief managed.

"Got it," Charity says triumphantly from the floor. She's bent over, a long arm reaching under the wardrobe. The dressing gown she's borrowed from Vanessa is a bit short on her, and the view from where Vanessa is standing is quite something. She presses her lips together when Charity gathers herself, standing and proudly presenting her with a small white button as if with an heirloom pearl.

"Good." She lets some of her lingering disappointment slip into her tone as she takes the button, then relents. "Now you just have to sew 'em back on, don't you." She's struggling to keep her face as Charity folds her arms.

"I can you know." Charity retorts, chin forward, eyes wide, showing the whites clearly around the green. "I'm not completely domestically incompetent."

"Never said you were." Vanessa returns, the grin starting to take over.

Charity frowns back. Glances at the blue checks apprehensively.

"Just don't sew them on too tightly, eh?" Vanessa says as she tucks the last button into one of the shirt's breast pockets.

"Wot?"

She knows Charity's mind well enough to know she doesn't have to say it. Is surprised the inference is taking this long to drop. She cocks an eyebrow to help it along.

"Well, it's just a good thing, isn't it," she says, "that the buttons broke the thread, rather than the fabric. The thread's easy enough to replace." She folds the shirt over once and tips her head a little. "You know. If something like that should ever happen again."

It's beautiful, to see Charity finally take the hint. See the spikes and glower drift off, replaced with a delighted smile, characteristic lines deepening around the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah. Well, I might do that," she says stepping closer to Vanessa, looking her up and down slow enough to make her point. She pauses, thumbing the fabric. "It's my shirt now. Innit." She sounds sure of herself, cocky even. Until the words are out of her mouth and her eyes flick up to Vanessa's face, tentatively checking for a reaction.

"It is. If you want it." Vanessa levels at Charity, swearing inwardly at the faint waver in her voice.

She holds Charity's gaze, those green eyes drinking her in, soaking up meaning from a host of little things no one usually notices, because of course she does. She's been doing that since the beginning. Since the first time she really looked at Vanessa. The shorter woman lets out a quiet breath to steady herself.

Charity reaches out, running her fingertips down Vanessa's cheek before resting her palm along her jaw and dropping a smiling kiss on her lips. Then she laughs, turning and wrapping an arm around Vanessa's shoulders, nudging her hip. "Well, I think I might just at that."


End file.
